As part of its welfare work, a Dutch television crew has stepped in to help the Nomzamo Seniors’ Club, whose members needed a place to call their own.

The crew said its viewers dug deep into their pockets and responded to the pleas of the elderly Langa residents.

On Monday, representatives of Max Maakt Mogelijk (“Max Makes it Possible”) handed over a new facility to the seniors of Langa, who had been hiring venues for their meetings.

The programme had been raising funds in Holland to provide the seniors’ club with a proper meeting space.

Producer Melvin Tool praised the efforts of Dutch seniors and the show’s viewers for making this possible.

“After hearing about the plight of the seniors from Ikamva Labantu, we asked our viewers to donate,” said Mr Tool.

“They donated whatever they could. They paid for this project. In fact, it was the poor and seniors who have made this possible,” he said.

Nomzamo is one of 19 seniors’ clubs run by Ikamva Labantu in the Cape Metro.

The crew had been in South Africa before and it was then that they witnessed the poor conditions of the old seniors’ club.

It was through their film and fund-raising efforts that they managed to raise enough money to move the seniors into a better building.

Excited Ikamva Labantu staff and seniors praised the crew’s generosity and their co-ordinator, Phumla Ndaba, said the seniors’ club had previously been suffering.

“We have been hiring a building to have seniors in one place. We have been up and down, changing places, because we had no place of our own.

“Now that we have this facility we will be able to conduct our daily programmes,” she said.

Her words were echoed by facility manager Lulama Sigasana, who was happy that the seniors were finally being treated with some dignity.

“The place that we were in had holes on the walls. It was difficult to cope in it, especially in winter.

“Now that we have our own place, we will see many more elders coming. We are happy we will be able to conduct our programmes. There will be games, exercises, storytelling, crafts and health practitioners will come to us,” she said.